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The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on November 7, 2006
The European Journal of Public Health 2007 17(4):348-352; doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckl250
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Health Inequalities

The barriers against childhood immunizations: a qualitative research among socio-economically disadvantaged mothers

Ahmet Topuzoglu, Pinar Ay, Seyhan Hidiroglu and Yucel Gurbuz

Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Marmara University Istanbul, Turkey

Correspondence: Ahmet Topuzoglu, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Tibbiye Cad. No: 49 34668 Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Turkey, tel: +90 216 414 94 57, e-mail: atopuzoglu{at}marmara.edu.tr

Received May 23, 2006 , accepted October 5, 2006

Background: The socio-economically disadvantaged populations are among the most vulnerable groups that are under-vaccinated. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study was to understand the behaviours of mothers concerning the immunization of their children, the decision-making process, the perceived barriers, and the enabling factors to access the services in a suburban population in Istanbul. Method: Eight focus group discussions and two in-depth interviews were carried out with the mothers who have children younger than five years. Results: While the responsibility of immunization was left totally to the mother, the socially subordinate role of women did not provide the means of getting the immunization services. The women were dependent mostly on social networks for getting the immunization services. Another important barrier to the services was related to the economical constraints and accessibility of the services. In addition, the lack of effective communication and information transfer between the health personnel and the mothers formed an important obstacle. Conclusion: This study underlines a need for an effective counselling tailored to the immunization session, which will maintain a positive relationship between the personnel and the mother.

Keywords: barriers, immunization, qualitative, Turkey, vaccination


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